An Introduction to Applied Linguistics (review)

An introduction to applied linguistics is a valuable addition to its field as it devotes attention to multiple subfields and maintains a sophisticated tone for an introductory text. The book is geared primarily toward readers and scholars outside the immediate realm of applied linguistics, yet knowledge of linguistics is necessary to fully appreciate its contents. Norbert Schmitt has organized a collection of fifteen chapters subdivided into three sections: a description of language and language use, essential areas of enquiry in applied linguistics, and language skills and assessment.

The chapters are authored by a total of thirty-one specialists, including some of the most renowned names in the field, such as Diane Larsen-Freeman (‘Grammar’), Paul Nation (‘Vocabulary’), and Patricia L. Carrell (‘Reading’), to name a few. Each chapter provides general information along with a view of current trends and key issues in the subfield. Some chapter titles, however, may be misleading as they do not always reflect the whole of their contents. For example, ‘Speaking and pronunciation’ deals more with speaking and discourse than with pronunciation.

The book begins with an introduction and an overview of the field by Schmitt and Marianne Celce-Murcia. The first section of each chapter introduces the topic, explaining its place in applied linguistics. Often accompanying the introduction is a brief insight into previous studies in the literature, although some chapters, such as ‘Corpus linguistics’, deal with new subfields for which little background is needed or available. Following each chapter introduction the main principles and current trends of the topic are discussed. The language instructor will find the subsequent segment of each chapter especially useful as pedagogical implications are discussed and suggested. These portions of the chapters highlight the concerns and reservations instructors may have in applying linguistics to the curriculum. They also provide suggestions and answer such questions as what should be used or observed in language instruction and how to employ various methodologies. Each chapter concludes with suggestions for further reading as well as a ‘hands-on activity’. This element of the chapter focuses on implementing the discussion of the chapter with data for the reader to interpret and analyze, with solutions provided at the end of the book. Some chapters provide additional questions for research and investigation. This is intended to foster further interest in the various subfields.

The voice and style of the chapters are quite heterogeneous, contributing to the attraction of the book. The chapters are, at the same time, well balanced and they cross-reference each other where appropriate. The lessons and the insights provided in this work are perceptive in their general overview of each component of the discipline and are easily understood by readers outside each particular subfield.